Deion Sanders confirms plan for emotional Colorado tradition as Shedeur Sander’s quarterback battle enters critical phase

For the first time in five years, Deion Sanders is heading into the new college football season without his sons by his side.

Coach Prime had the privilege of working closely with Shilo and Shedeur Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado, and both have now made it to the NFL.

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When they were in college, Sanders had a tradition of walking out with his sons before every game, and did it one final time in December 2024.

“I’m sorry, this is tough,” an emotional Deion said at the time.

“I’m seeing when they first put on uniforms, when they first started. When I first started coaching them.

“The good, the bad, the ups, the downs. It’s been a heck of a journey.”

While Sanders may have thought his heartwarming tradition came to an end at the Alamo Bowl, it seems that won’t be the case.

Speaking this week, he revealed that one of his players at Colorado has promised to keep the pre-game moment alive.

“One of my kids, I’m not going to say who it was, came to me the other day,” an emotional Sanders told former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel.

“He said, ‘Coach Prime, you know that walk you did with Shedeur and Shilo, you know we still going to do that walk, right?’

“I said, ‘Boy, you trying to make me cry, man.’”

Sanders has battled a lot, both physically and emotionally, during the offseason.

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Not only have both of his sons moved on to the NFL, but last week Coach Prime also disclosed that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer, and underwent surgery to be cured.

He initially withheld that information from Shedeur and Shilo, so that his health issue did not risk distracting them from their NFL dreams.

Deion shares hopes for Shedeur’s preseason

During his conversation with Samuel, Sanders took a moment to discuss the ongoing quarterback battle that Shedeur has on his hands with the Cleveland Browns.

The 23-year-old arrived in Ohio after a shocking NFL Draft slide, and find himself challenging Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel for reps.

Their battle has been widely covered, with a daily tracker revealing how each of the QBs are performing in team drills, and how many touchdowns and interceptions they’ve thrown so far.

While some would argue that kind of scrutiny during training camp is unnecessary, Coach Prime is actually a big fan of the tracker, and suggested his son has earned some game minutes.

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“You’re going to have to let him play in preseason,” Sanders said of Shedeur.

“I know him, he’s going to get the ball downfield. He’ll go first down, first down. Competition, completion.

“You know (the daily tracker)? We’ve always done that here. Seven-on-seven, as well as team. We’ve always kept track.

“I’ve always wanted the quarterback to see where they were.”

How is Sanders performing in training camp?

The Browns open their preseason on Friday, August 8 against the Carolina Panthers.

While their starter for the game is yet to be announced, Sanders will be expecting snaps as presumptive starter Joe Flacco is unlikely to be risked and Kenny Pickett is dealing with an injury.

It leaves Sanders, and Gabriel, likely to play all four quarters between themselves.

After eight days of training camp, Sanders is posting impressive numbers, despite a lack of first-team reps.

Shedeur has completed 50 of his 70 passes, for six TDs and no interceptions, and went up against the starters this week.

Fellow rookie Gabriel, who was creating buzz of his own a few weeks ago, has gone 51 for 87, with three TDs and two interceptions.

Pickett, meanwhile, is nursing a hamstring injury and has been taking part in fewer drills.

All that could open the door for Shedeur to stake his first major claim when the Browns head to Carolina to face the Panthers, and if Coach Prime’s prediction comes true, he might just put on a show.

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